Gunshots "pierced the quiet street"

Forensic officers have now arrived on scene

Investigation is in very early stages

“The investigation is in the very early stages but I want to make it clear that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.

“Gun crime and keeping the streets of Merseyside safe is a priority for Merseyside Police.

“Criminals involved in gun crime have no regard for anyone else and I would urge the local community to come together to help us take a stand against the use of firearms and violence on our streets and report anything they saw or heard to us so we can take immediate action.

“The majority of people living in the areas where gun crime has been an issue recently are decent, hard working members of the public. Why should they suffer because of a small number of people intent on creating misery?

“If anyone witnessed the incident or saw anything suspicious that could help us investigate this incident then please contact our gun crime hotline on 0800 230 0600 or leave information anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

20:03Peter Harris

Police keen to trace rider of yellow motorbike

More from Merseyside Police as they appeal for information about the incident.

Detectives are keen to trace the rider of a yellow motorbike which was left at the scene. A male wearing a black T-shirt, black shorts and a black cap and with his face covered is also believed to have left the scene shortly afterwards.

Officers and Crime Scene Investigators are in attendance at the scene and extensive enquiries are being carried out to establish the full circumstances of what happened.

20:00KEY EVENT

Merseyside Police confirm a man was shot

We have now received a statement from Merseyside Police:

A man, believed to be in his 20s, has been taken to hospital for treatment for injuries consistent with a firearms discharge. He is currently in a serious condition.

At this early stage of the investigation, the full circumstances of the incident are unclear and the motive is unknown.

19:50KEY EVENT

A man & a woman taken away by police

19:28

"I was in shock"

19:27

"Victim pulled up on motorbike"

To clarify, these are unconfirmed reports and we are still waiting for information from Merseyside Police.

19:05

Large amount of officers at the scene

18:48

More pictures from the scene

Police inside the cordon on Hartsbourne Avenue

18:45

"Shots were fired at about 5:15pm"

18:45KEY EVENT

'Paramedics worked on the victim in the garden'

18:44

"It's absolutely disgusting"

Another quote from a resident.

18:42

Young man 'seriously injured'

We must stress that these are unconfirmed reports and we have contacted Merseyside Police for more details.

18:41KEY EVENT

"There has never been trouble like this"

18:40

"I heard the shots and ran straight out"

18:38

Reports from other residents

18:37

Witness saw man with a 'serious head wound'

Our reporter Tom Duffy has just spoken to a witness.

A witness said he saw a man with a ‘serious’ head wound being carried out of a house on Hartsbourne Avenue this evening. The man, who was driving through the area at around 6.15pm, said to the ECHO: “I saw them carrying him out on a stretcher.There was a bandage on his head and you could see blood. I think paramedics were working on him.Armed police were at the scene, and lots of residents had come out of their homes to see what was going on.”